Changeable front door.



' H. F. DOLL. CHANGEABLB FRONT DOOR.

APPLIOATION FILED DEO.8, 1910.

1,018,101. Patented Feb. 20, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1,

Patented FebT 20, 1912.

2 SHEETS-METZl www@ ` specification.

naar malaises corr IUNrrED 'sTATEsrnTENT onirica.

' HERMAN F. DOLL, OF WICHITA, KANSAS.

CHANGEABLE FRONT noonh To all whom it may concern: I

Wichita, in the county of Sedgwick and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Changeable Front Doors, o, which the following is a This invention relates to doors and similar closures andvhas for its object the provision of a door of simple and durable construction, capable of being readily converted from a storm door into a ventilated or ornamental door `according to the conditions under which it is used.

A further ob'ect is to provide a door having a detachable mat or panel so that by.

removing 4said, .panel and inserting a different panel, .the character of the doormay be changed at will. l y

A further object` is to provide improved means for locking the mat or panel in po- A sition on the door, and means for preventing accidental displacement of said'panel when the locking means is released.

Afurther object is to provide means for preventing` the water of condensation from dripping on the lower portion ofthe door when a glass panel is used, and means for preventing the entrance of wind, dust or water between the panel and door to the interior of a room or other inclosure.

A still further object of the invention is generally to improve this class of devices, so

as to increase their utility, durability and eiiiciency. l

Further objects and advantages willappear in thefollowing description, it being.

understood that various changes in form, proportions and minor 'details of construction may be resorted to within the scopeof the appended claims. l

For a fullunderstanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanyingdrawings, in which: A'

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a door I provided with a removable panel constructed in accordance with my invention, looking at the inner face thereof; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is4 a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 ,isf a detail perspective view of one of the locking members detached; Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the lowerportion of the door and Specicationof Letters Patent. Patented Feb, 20, 1912` Application filed December 8;"1910. Serial No. 596,334.

A the lower portion of the panel, showing the tongue and grooved connection between the same, said door and panel being separated; Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the lower portion'of the removable. panel; Fig. 7 is a front elevation, showing a diierent style of panel in position on the door; Fig. 8 is asimilar View, showing the panel provided with a screen to form a ventilated door.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings Iby the same reference characters. 'Y

The improved door forming the subjectmatter fof the present invention comprises vertical stiles 5 and 6 connected by transverse top and bottom rails 7 and 8 and an intermediate rail 9, between which and the lower rail 8, is interposed a stationary panel 10. The door -thus formed-provides an opening 11 extending for the major por tion of the height of the door and adapted to receive a removable mat or panel, indicated at 12. The walls 'of the panel receiving opening 1l are rabbeted to produce an inwardly extending flange 13 entirely surrounding the opening' and which forms a stop for limiting the inward movement of the panel 12, there being a similar flange 14 formed on the panel. and overlapping the outer face of the door, thus efectually to prevent the entrance of wind, dust and water between Vthe door and panel to the interior-of a room or otherl inclosure.

The panel 12 is provided.y with an ornamental face 15 preferably formed of leaded glass so that when the panel is in position on a door, the latter may be used as a fancy inner er outer door for cottages, dwellings and the like. c

Secured to the vertical stiles 5 and 6 near `the top and bottom thereof, are spring lockorcurved to conform to the curvature of thellO flange '13 so that the free end of the hasp will bear flush against the inner face of the tion ,of said spring being to automatically move the hasp to inoperative position when 1 the adjacent turn-button 19 is released. The

" panel 12 inengagement with the flange 13' spring 21 also servesto yieldably hold the so as to form a tight joint between the panel and door and thus prevent the entrance of dust or other foreign matter to the interior of a room, as before stated.

' Secured to the outer face of the panel at the lower end thereof, is a laterally extending flange 22 constituting a water table, the upperface of said table being inclined downwardly so as 'to shedtlie water of condensation, when. a glass panel is used, and thus prevent the water from dripping yon the lower portion-.,of the door. The lower face of' the ilange or table 22 is provided with a flat surface 23 which rests on a sill'24 secured to the intermediate rail- 9, thus toassist in sustaining the weight of the panel 12. The sill 24 is provided with a substantially V -sliaped groove 25 adapted to receive a correspondingly shaped rib or tongue 26 depending from the fiat surface 23 of the table, the function of the tongue and groove being to prevent accidental displacement of the panel 12 when the locking device is released preparatory to removing said panel. The ton e or rib 26 terminates short of the opposite ends ofthe ariel 12 to form terminal shoulders 27 whic bear against the inner face of the silll 24 and thus form an abutment therefor.

It will be noted that the face of the intermediate rail 9 at the groove 25, is inclined in the direction of said ,groove as indicated at 28, while the shoulders/2J? are correspondingly inclined. The inclined faceof the rib or tongue 26, by engagement with the groove 25, forms a'guide for the panel when inserting the latter within the opening in the door.

I preferably provide two or more additional panels 30 and31, similar in construction to the-panel A12, with the exception that the panel 30 is provided with a strip of wire netting constituting a screen, while the panel 31 is provided with several lights or panes of glass 32 at the upper end thereof and a single relatively large pane of glass or light. at the lower end thereof. Thus it will be seen that by removing the fastening devices, the panel 12 may be. readily detached and either the screen section 30 or the transparent section 32' fastened within the opening 11, thus providing a door which may be readily converted from a storm door into a ventilated door or a door having an ornamental face.

j ing rabbeted to It will of course be understood that the doors may be madek in different sizes and shapes and that any number of locking members may be employed for securing the panels of the door in position, without departing from the spirit of the invention. aving thus described the invention, what is c imed as new is:

V1. A door having an opening therein, a sill secured to and projecting laterally from the outer face of the door at the lower wall of the opening and provided with a longitudinal groove inclin'ed in the direction of said door, a removable panel Seated in the opening, a flange of greater width than the sill extending' laterally from the lower end of the panel above said groove and resti fr on the sill, said flange constitutin a waters ed, a longitudinal ton ue depen ing from the lower face of sai flange and adapted to enter the groove in the sill, and means for securing the panel in position on the door.

2. A door having an opening therein,l a sill securedto and projecting laterally from the outer face of the door at the lower wall of theopening and provided with a longitudinal groove extending the entire width of said opening, onewall of the groove being inclined in thevdirection of the opening, a removable panel seated in said o ening, a flange of greater width than the si l secured to and. extending laterally from the panel vabove said groove and having its lower face fiat and resting on the sill and its upper face inclined downwardly to form a water shed, a tongue of the same length as the groove depending from the flat lower face of the flange and having one wall thereof inclined to conform to and adapted to cngage the inclined wall of said groove, and means for securing the panel in position on the door.

3. A door having an opening therein and extendin for the major portion of the height o thc door, one face of said door beproduce a marginal flange entirely surrounding the opening, a sill rigidly secured to and projecting laterally from the outer face of the door'and having a longitudinal seating groove formed therein and extending the entire width of said opening, a removable panel seated in the opening and provided Vwith a lange bearing against the adjacent face of the door, a second fiange of greater width than the sill rigidly secured to and projecting laterally from the lower edge of the panel and resting on the upper face of said sill at the groove therein, and a tongue of the saine length as the groove depending from the lower face of the last mentioned flange and adapted to enter said groove.

4. Av door having an opening therein, a transverse sill secured to the outer face of the door and having a longitudinally disposed SnbS'antnlly ll-shaped groove formed of the :Hnng'e 21ml ndaptedo enter the groove iliel'ein nml opening thlonpji the nppei fue@ of the sill, snifl groeve extending' the entire wiillli ofn the opening, a removable panel sented in sni l opening, a transverse flange rigidly seenefl to :ind extending laterally from the upper 'l'zlf'e of the panel nl'- the lower mul thereof und having iis lower face ilzuA nml of greater wiililiflmn nndliem'ing against the upper Sni'lnee of the Sill and its upper inee inclined downwardly roforni n waivisliml. n tongue of the suine'lengtll ns ille groove depending' 'from the lower' face in the sill, said tongue terminating short of the opposite ends of the panel to form terminnl Shouldersndnpted lo benrng'ninst the inner fnee'of the Sill at the ends 4of the groove, und vmeans for securing the panel in position on the door. I

In testimony whereof, I alix my bignatm-e in presence of two Witnesses.

HERMAN F. DOLL.l [LL 5.]

, Witnesses:

GEO. T. S'IEEL,

A. H. Plximom'. 

